Calender for tektile and other materials



April 28, 192 5.

T. w. FRANCE CALENDBR FOR TEXTILE AND OTHER MATERIAL:

Filed Sept. 24. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- b Mamas/(flame.

A T OFIVEK April 28; 1925.

T. w. FRANCE CALENDER FOR TEXTILE AND OTHER KATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 24. 1924 Fig.4:

//vvE/ vr0/a' 77/0/1765 fiance.

plunger-s or rams G, to which water under pressure is supplied by pipes 33 and whose supply and exhaust is governed by a valve 33 and control lever 33" therefor. By moving the lever 83 down, the hydraulic pressure on the rams 6 is released and the roll 1 drops; by raising the lever, pressure is applied to the rams and the roll 4 .is raised to make the nip upon the cloth passing between the rolls. The operator is positioned directl y in front of the calender and seeing a seam approaching the nip between the rolls, will quickly push down lever 33 and thereby instantly drop the lower roll about three-eighths to one-half an inch from the top roll, the seam will pass through and he will quickly throw the lever up again and cause the two rolls to come together again within and pick up rolling contact with the steel roll about four inches from the seam. Ordinarily, the lower roll is driven by frictional contact with the upper roll, which receives motion from an electric motor 16 whose pulley drives a belt 14: and large pulley 13 on a counter-shaft 12 which in turn transmits motion to the roll 3 by a pinion 44 on the shaft meshing with a large gear 10 secured to the roll outside of its bearing. Instead of permitting the lower roll 4 becoming dead? by losing its rotation when dropped, 1 provide a geared friction drive whereby the driven roll 3 continually acts to drive the lower roll 4, whether raised or lowered, but especially when lowered so that the lower roll when raised quickly picks up the nip and speed of the steel roll and insures perfect handling of the goods when the seam has passed through the rolls. It further insures prompt calendering action following the passage of the seam and consequently less loss. I will now describe this mechanism embodying my invention.

By reference to Fig. l, it will be seen that the upper steel roll 3 is provided with a gear 22 on its end and, similarly, the corresponding end of the lower or composite roll 4: is provided with a larger gear 17, but these gears are not in the same plane and do not directly mesh. They are, however, coupled through the medium of three additional gears 18, 20 and 21, the latter frietionallv colu'iected to rotate as a. eompensating unit. From Fig. 1, it will be seen that the gears 22 and 17 revolve in different planes and that the former is geared with compensating gear 21, while the latter is geared with compensating gear 20 through idler gear 18, this latter to insure proper direction of rotation.

The compensating gears are best shown in Fig. 2, from which it will be seen that they embody the following features: A stud 24 is secured at 25 to the side of the main housing or frame 2. Upon the stud 2ithere is journaled a long rotatable sleeve 23 having a flange 24; at one end to which the gear 21. is secured so that the sleeve becomes in effect the hub of the gear. A loose compensating gear 20 is journaled upon the sleeve so as to revolve thereon when necessary. l-letween the gears 20 and 21, I arrange a friction disk member 26 of any suitable material. 2'? is a flanged hub which rotates positively with the sleeve 2% and gear 21 but through a groove 23" and spline connection 27 it has freedom of longitudinal movement along the sleeve. lnterposcd between this flanged hub and gear 20, I arrange another friction disk member 28. A spring 29 surrounds the sleeve 24; and at one end presses upon the flanged hub 27. The other end of the spring rests against the pressure adjusting nut 30 screwed upon the sleeve 21- and having a hand wheel 31 for rotating it to vary the tension of the spring. In this manner, any degree of friction desired may be put upon the disks 26 and 28 so that the gear 20 is more or less positively driven from gear 21. The idler gear 18 is journaled on a stud 19 which maintains it in geared relation with gears 20 and 17. From the foregoing description, it is manifest that when the roll 4- is dropped the'train of gears 22, 21, 20, 1S and 17 will keep the lower roll rotating at its normal driven speed, but this may insure an equal or a slightly greater or less surface speed than the surface speed of the steel roll 3, according to the proportions given to the pitch diameters of the gearing.

If the steel roll 3 is engraved for producing an embossed effect, it is practically essential that it shall pick up the bottom roll 4 while in motion, but the friction applied to gear 20 must be set to the right tension so that the pick up shall take place without any grinding action which would be damaging to roll 41 itself, the steel engraved roll 3, or the cloth. In this case, the friction shall not be excessive, so that while adequate to impart positive rotation to roll 1- when idle for quick pick up action, it will yield to the normal friction between the rolls 3 and 4 to insure identical surface speeds during the calendering and embossmg.

"f, on the other hand, the steel roll 3 is plain and not engraved, the friction should be adjusted to gear 20. so as to not only |)lt'l-: up the lower conqmsition roll 1- while it is in motion, but at the same time, exert a slight slipping action or friction upon the cloth which gives to it an additional luster. a helpful feature in obtaining the sheen. desired on the goods. To secure this burnishing effect, it is manifest that the surface speed of the lower roll must be different than that of the steel roll and this is true whether its surface speed. is greater or less than that of the steel roll.

lit)

Aside from any consideration of making the surface speeds of the two rolls different when treating the cloth for sheen effects, the con'ipensating geared friction drive performs its function perfectly in insuring the quick pick up upon passing a seam, for any variation, in diameter of the composition roll due to its being turned or ground down for removing markings. This is of great in'iportance of itself, as it saves cloth on the following side of seiu'nswhile the matter of embossing or producing extra sheen are supplemental and refinements of the use of my invention.

Referring to some of the additional fealures of the calendx shown, the following may be noted: The cloth roll indicated at iii as supported upon a mandrel upon which friction to retard rotation may be applied by a brake device 35 of usual construction. The cloth web from the roll then passes over and under adjustable main drag bars 36, thence over and under fixed guide rods 37, thence in contact with the lower nip roll 4;, thence between rolls 3 and 4, thence over guide roller 38 to be wound up as finished roll 39 upon a mandrel fitting a socket 40 and rotated thereby. This socket s0 is frictionally driven by a device 41 in frictional contact with a gear 42 which is continuously rotated by a pinion l i of driven counter-shaft 12 and idler gear 43, all as is well known in machines of this class. The upper or steel roll is hollow and heated internally in any suitable manner as, for eX ample, by steam supplied by pipe 32. In some cases, the heating may be done by small gas jets as is well known to those skilled in the art.

In conclusion, it will be understood that as the roll 3 is being driven continuously at a uniform speed, the special compensating gearing between it and the roll 4 will always be such that when the roll 4 is raised to pick up in producing the nip after passage of a seam, there is no lost motion or backlash.

. The nip takes place quickly and positively by the rotating roll l, sincethe inertia of a dead roll has not to be overcome. at is always alive in rotating action and is always sufficiently close in surface speed to that of the steel roll that the pick up is positive and the adjustment of the speed is instantaneous. By the use of gears in close preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory The roll and-reliable results, it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

1. In a machine of the class described having a pair of cale-ndering rolls normally rotating in contact, and means for n'lolnentarily moving the rolls out of contact for permitting of the passage of a transverse scam in the material being treated, combined with power means for positively rotating a one of the rolls continuously at a predetermined surface speed. Dower means for retating the other roll at a slightly different surface speed comprising a train of gearing for power transmission fuom and in accord ance with the speed of the first mentioned roll and extending to and including the second mentioned roll and having therein auto matic friction compensating means for permitting an automatic smooth change in sun face speed of the second mentioned roll after pick up and under control of frictional resistance arising upon the said roll when in contact with the material and first men tioned roll.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the compensating train of gearing comprises a plurality of gears in mesh in one plane and driven commensurately with the speed of one roll and a second plurality of gears in mesh in another plane and in driving connection with the other roll, and the compensating means comprises a frictionally arranged yielding couple between the first and second plurality of gears and connecting them across the two planes in driving direction.

3. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the compensating train of gearing comprises a plurality of gears in mesh in one plane and driven commensurately with the speed of one roll and a second plurality of gears in mesh in another plane and in driving connection with the other roll, and the compensating means. comprises a frictionally arranged yielding couple between the first and second plurality of gears and connecting them; across the two planes in driving direction, said friction ally yielding couple consisting of a rotating sleeve rotated by one of the plurality of gears and loosely carrying one of the gears of the other plurality of gears, friction applying means on and rotating with the sleeve 1n contact with the loose gear on the sleeve for yieldingly driving it, and adjustable means for adjusting the extent of friction applied.

1-. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the compensating train of gearing comprises a plurality of gears in mesh in one plane and driven commensurately with the speed of one roll and a second plurality of gears in mesh in another plane and in driving conection with the other roll, and the compensating means comprises a itrietionally arranged yielding couple between the first and second plurality of gears and, connecting them across the two planes in driving direction, and provided with adjustable means for adjusting the extent of friction of the yielding couple.

The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the compensating means is provided with adjustable means for adjusting the extent of friction therein.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of an upper steel roll, a lower composition roll, means to drop and raise the latter under manual control, a gear on the upper roll, a gear on the lower roll,

said g *are in difl'erenl planes, a stud fined to of the upper roll, a loose gear journaled on the sleeve and geared to drive the gear of the lower roll, means rotating with the sleeve and applying :triction to,the loose gear thereon to drive it, and spring devices rotating with the sleeve for determining the extent of the friction.

7. The invention according to claim 6, wherein further, the spring devices comprise a coil spring surrounding the sleeve and pressing upon the means for applying friction to the loose gear, and an adjusting nut on the end of the sleeve for manually adjusting the tension of the spring.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto setmy hand.

THOMAS W FRANCE. 

